The Lord of the Rings Racial Templates: The Races of Men

[Gavynn]

So, I have been working on my LotR supplement, but it is not coming as quickly as I would have liked since graduate school is happening and I am trying to cram my school work in before I have to start diagnostic exams next week (I am sure many of you can relate). But I was allowing myself a little down time and so started pondering the Races of Men. I know you don’t need my life story but I have had a couple of PMs asking me about its progress and I do appreciate your interest. I have been working on the Orc and Orc Kind section and it is coming up on twenty pages longs. But I did not feel that a teaser .pdf felt right without covering Men (even more so than leaving out Hobbits). It should be noted that these are templates from the War of the Ring and are not intended to depict a Man of Numenor at the height of its culture. Without further ado:

Dúnadan
Cost: 9 character points

Ability Adjustments
+1 Health [+10]

Advantages
Extended Lifespan [+2]

Quirks
The Dunedain do not take their descent from the great Men of Numenor lightly, and are ever conscious that theirs is a higher calling. [-1]
The Dunedain despise the Corsairs of Umbar as they blame the Corsairs for the Kin Strife, Gondor’s civil war. [-1]*
Dunedain hate the Black Numenorians, whom they see at the evil mirror images of themselves and consider them to be traitors. [-1]*

Features
Early Maturation [0]

Tendencies to have only a single child [0]

About 1 in 200 pregnancies result in multiple births with triplets or more being almost non existent [0]

* Considering moving these to zero point features and rolling the point cost into their being conscience of their Numenorian heritage. Not sure these two will come up much, BUT quirks are for things that don’t often come up, but might, so I have left them or now.

Middle Man
Cost: 0 points

The typical Gondorian, Dunlanding, Rohir man or woman, Beorning, man or woman from the Dorwinion, the Easterling, the Haradrim, the Men of Dale, and any other member of the race of Men that do not fit elsewhere. They all are built on the zero point human template. I am going on the assumption that not all Beornings can shape shift. That is an individual advantage that some Beorings happen to have. Members of the ruling houses of Gondor might still be built on a modified Dunadan template, or a watered down version thereof. This does not mean that all the zero point Men are boring. I plan a detailed look at each one of them, but it does mean that they do not cost more in GURPS terms. Who would not want to play a Rider of Rohan, a member of the Gondorian Tower Guard, or a Swan Knight of Dol Amroth?

Black Numenorian
Cost: 10 points

Ability Adjustments
+1 Health [+10]

Advantages
Extended Lifespan [+2]

Quirks
Distain of Elves and the Dunedain [-1]
Chauvinistic [-1]

Features
Early Maturation [0]
Tendencies to have only a single child [0]
About 1 in 200 pregnancies result in multiple births with triplets or more being almost non existent [0]


Elven-Blooded

Given the rarity with which Men and Elves tend to join, and the histories of their unions are well established, no player can be strictly half-elven such as Lord Elrond. However, some noble houses of Men (such as the princely house of Dol Amroth) show some signs of Elven ancestoty. Player characters may choose to belong to one of these houses. Typically these characters will be fair or form and the men will not grow facial hair. They may have other advantages of the elves, although likely to a much lesser degree. A player who chooses to design an elven-blooded character should consult with the GM to assign racial abilities normally reserved only for elven characters as elven-blooded racial stats and pay the associated point cost. Thus, elven blooded might run from a zero point feature to a variable value of a handful of points. The GM is the final arbiter of the value of any elven blooded template and at what level elf only racial advantages may be taken. Distantly eleven blooded characters might have only one or two lessened eleven traits, a lucky union of elven blooded parents might produce a character with a few more points of elven abilities, but in all cases an elven blooded template should not be prohibitively expensive for a 150 point starting character.

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So I guess these are not as exciting templates as Dwarves or Elves, but would anyone care to offer comment?

Also, the Woses should be included here, but I have not gotten around to considering them. Any thoughts on them?

[David Johnston]

You should give the Riders of Rohan Truthfulness and Delusion: I am good at telling who is a liar.

[Gavynn]

Considering a bit further, I know of a few other races of Men that might qualify for GURPS mechanics beyond the normal human template. I have a few notes for each. Information about them is scant, so there is much room for interpretation.

Drúedain

The Woses appear to be perfect candidates for the reduces tech level disadvantage. They might also naturally be stealthy. SM -1 sounds good too. I don't think they were particularly attractive to non-Woses, likely Neanderthal like in appearance.

The Axe-Men

"They are strong: battalions of Orcs of the Eye, and countless companies of Men of a new sort we have not met before. Not tall, but broad and grim, bearded like dwarves, wielding great axes. Out of some savage land in the wide East they come, we deem."

Maybe just the standard human template.

The "Troll" Men

Black skinned men "like half-trolls with white eyes and red tongues". Very interesting. Could go different directions with that.

Haradrim

Listed above as Middle Men, but it is possible that they are operating one tech level behind the times as well given their use of bronze and some intepreations of the history suggest they might have been in the iron age earlier in their history.

[NineDaysDead]

Extended Lifespan costs 2 points/level in 4th ed.

[Gavynn]

Since I had a few moments, I thought I would consider our woodland friends a bit more. :-)

Drúadan (Wose)
It costs -14 points to play a Wose.

Ability Adjustments
None
SM +0*

Languages
Pukael (Native/no writing)** [-3]

Advantages
Discriminatory Smell (B.49) [15]
Acute Taste and Smell +4 (B.35) [8]
Night Vision 4 (B.71) [4]
Acute Vision +2 (B. 35) [4]

Disadvantages
Low Tech Level – TL 0 (B.22) [-15]
Social Stigma - Hunted for Sport (B.155) [-20]
Xenophobia 12 (B.150) [-15]
Ugly Physical Appearance (B.21) [-8]
Reduced Life Span 1 (B.154) [-10]

Racial Skills
+3 to Tracking [6]
Talent: Outdoorsmen +2 (B.91) [20]

Features
Typically wears minimum clothing [0]



* I decided the Wose average height is just above the cut off for SM -1. Maybe female average height dips into it, but the race is very borderline.

** Woses use basic pictographic signs to mark paths or territory, but that is the extent of their written communication. Some Woses may know Westron or Dunael at a broken or accented level. It would be exceedingly rare for a Wose to become literate though.

[Wedhro]

Originally Posted by Gavynn

Drúadan (Wose)
It costs -14 points to play a Wose *snip*

Nice template, it covers pretty all!

[Gavynn]

Originally Posted by Wedhro

Nice template, it covers pretty all!

Thank you much!

[NineDaysDead]

Originally Posted by Gavynn

Advantages
Discriminatory Smell (B.49) [15]
Acute Vision +2 (B. 35) [4]

Racial Skills
+3 to Tracking [6]
Talent: Outdoorsmen +2 (B.91) [20]

This gives the average (perception 10) Druadan a tracking default of 16, and 20 if they put 1 point in it. Is the average Druadan meant to be that good?

Default: 5
Discriminatory Smell +4
Acute Vision +2
+3 to Tracking
Outdoorsmen +2

[Gavynn]

Originally Posted by NineDaysDead

This gives the average (perception 10) Druadan a tracking default of 16, and 20 if they put 1 point in it. Is the average Druadan meant to be that good?

Default: 5
Discriminatory Smell +4
Acute Vision +2
+3 to Tracking
Outdoorsmen +2

Hmmm. Good point. Upon further consideration, I think the +3 to tracking skill could be dropped. That puts them at a more reasonable tracking skill of 13. An individual could increase from there. Bloodhounds have tracking 15 or better, by the Basic Set, so that puts Wose trackers up there with blood hounds. If anyone has LotR references on this subject I might have missed that would be helpful.

According the the completely not canon MERP:

"The wide noses of the Woses are the most sensitive found in Men. Even in an open field, they can smell an Orc before other Men can see him. Together with their strong eyesight, they can track better than almost any hunting hound. Only water stays their pursuit."

That same non canon MERP book says:

They have the ability to sit for days on end without movement. With legs crossed, hands on their laps or knees, and eyes closed or facing groundward, they can remain silent as a statue. This affords them peace and allows for recall or meditation. Unfortunately, it apparently does nothing to lengthen their years, for the Woses generally die at a young age.

If this ability were to be imported, what is it in GURPS terms? I did not find a obvious GURPS solution in the admittedly brief time I took to put together this template last night.

[Verjigorm]

Autohypnosis or Autotrance?

Also, in the case of the Haradim, Bronze isn't necessarily an inferior metal to iron. Inferior to steel, yes, but not iron. This is more a weakness of GURPS' rules for low-tech materials than anything else, do with it what you will.